Menu

Team Building

When visiting Marwood Hill Gardens the other day we, Max’s Dad and me, were greeted quite unexpectedly with “are you on the team building day?” We looked at each other, both of us wondering which answer we should give. Before committing myself I enquired “is there free cake?”. It appears that this gave the game away. “We are just here to go to the Plant Centre” MD explained. “It doesn’t open until 11.00.” So we had our own mini-bonding session. We drank coffee, sans patisserie, and wandered the gardens admiring the planting, the bird life and talked about building a raft out of empty oil drums and planks of wood. Then we went to the Plant Centre. And, bizarrely, we didn’t buy anything.

You didn’t buy plants? You need to see a doctor immediately. Or maybe dial 999 for an ambulance. Hospitalisation may be needed. Urgently! Oh, and please stop posting photos of plants in flower. I have lots of Agapanthus leaves but ……. I’ll blame my bout of serious (not yet suicidal but …) depression on you! You may tip me off the edge.

Well how uncanny. We were there on Saturday. Also just for the plant centre. I was supposed to be out buying slate. But you know how it is. Morina longifolia made an acceptable alternative. Except that the wretched molluscs have nibbled it ALREADY!

tee hee. Working at a conference center, we encounter all sorts of ‘unique’ people from all over the place. Even though I wear a uniform, try to say discretely out of the way, and get quite grubby at times, people still initiate conversations with me about particular events and speakers that I know nothing about. When they find out that I tend to the gardens, they change the subject immediately to tell me how special they gardens are. I am then compelled to inform them that I only tend to the gardens at ground level that no one pays much attention to because they are all looking up at the majestic redwoods. It is nice to take credit for them anyway, even though have been doing what the do for centuries before my time.

I TOLD them that it was only temporary until I go back to work. I TOLD them it was only for three days a week. I TOLD them that I had other work to get back to someday. It will be a total bummer when things finally work out for me and I can go back to work. It really is an interesting place to work . . . and it is great that people are so nice and say such nice things.

The work is not unusual. I am merely helping with the maintenance of the minor landscapes. The situation is unusual. I work around so many people who think that we make the forest as majestic as it is, as if we somehow maintain redwood trees that are hundreds of feet tall. I also work with a staff who are not involved with the landscape, but are ridiculously supportive and loyal. We all help each other out when necessary. I SO badly want to go back to growing rhododendrons and working for my esteemed colleague there, but I will miss the situation I am in now. Like I said to someone else who asked, it is like when Dorothy wanted to go home to be with Auntie Em so badly, but did not want to leave her loyal friends, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion.

I twice managed ‘team building’ exercises to Chelsea Flower Show on company expenses. The rest of the ‘team building’ exercises were either boring or involved getting wet and muddy but NOT in pursuit of horticultural enjoyment. I think you and Max’s Dad did very well, but I am concerned you did not but anything!